Suitably Ill
by Attic Man
Summary: The Weekenders. The gang is in college and Tish gets sick. Complete.
1. Falling In

**Suitably Ill – Chapter One: Falling In**

Tino walked back and forth in front of his house awaiting the arrival of Tish. He felt like he had been waiting for hours now. Tino checked his watch. It had only been ten minutes. Still Tino was impatient. He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Where is she? I told her to meet me here at seven o' clock. I probably should have seen this coming. Something has to go wrong. These things can't ever work out. We'll be late leaving and then by the time we get there the whole place will be crowded. I won't be able to find a parking spot. We'll be like a mile away from the building then we'll have to carry all of our stuff through huge crowds of people. Aww man, I don't like this already. It is gonna be a long day, I know it," Tino mumbled to himself.

It was then that Tish came running up wearing a backpack and carrying a small bag. She looked a little disheveled and was clearly out of breath.

"I'm… so… sorry!" Tish got out in between deep breaths.

She held up her finger to give her some time to catch her breath.

"Okay, I think I'm all right now. Sorry, I guess I forgot to set my alarm. I was too excited last night. I've been a bit scatterbrained these past couple of weeks. But it's okay now."

"All right then. Do you have the last of your things?" Tino asked.

"Yep, I checked and then double checked. Everything is accounted for."

"Great. Then toss your stuff in the back and let's get going."

Tish went threw her two bags into the back and then jumped into the passenger seat next to Tino. Tino started up the car and began to pull out.

"Well, here we go. It's time to ride. See ya around house. I'll be back someday," Tino called out.

He waved to the house and Tish followed suit. The two settled in for the long drive up to their new residence.

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It was late August and that time of year again for Tino and his friends. College was once again starting up. This was going to be their second year at college and they were pretty excited about it. After a bit of a rocky start the first year they had gotten into the swing of things and were eager for things to go smooth right from the very beginning of the school year this time. In addition to that they were excited because they were lucky enough to get a house together. It had previously been used by Moira and her friends but they had gotten a new place and offered this house to Tino and his friends. It took a little bit of pleading on all four fronts but eventually all the parents gave the okay after a group discussion settled the matter. Lor and Carver were driving together up to the house later in the day because both had neglected to pack the night before. The destination was a small town called Eblan. It was about a four hour drive to the North of Bahia Bay. The town basically consisted of just the college, Eblan University, and the surrounding shops and various residences that were primarily built for the school. It was a picturesque town settled in a mountainous region. The four friends all enjoyed the beautiful scenery and liked how it was a nice partner to Bahia Bay's magnificent beach landscape. They all were genuinely excited to be back and couldn't wait to live together.

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"So what do you think this house will be like?" Tish asked.

"I don't really know. Nice, I guess. If Moira stayed there for two years I can't imagine it's a bad place. Plus, she said that Dixon had gone up there and worked on the place a bit, and you and I both know that Dixon does good work," Tino answered.

"Yeah, that's true. I also think the place will be real nice probably real nice furniture thanks to Dixon's carpentery. I gotta admit though, I'm still shocked that our parents let us all live together. I think most parents would have been completely against it."

"Probably, but our parents are cool enough. I mean, c'mon, we've all been friends for years now they trust us."

"I know. I'm just surprised that they trust us this much."

"I guess. I figure it this way, so long as there are no long term consequences to our actions we'll be fine. We have their trust not to create unmanageable situations."

Tish looked at Tino with eyes in shock but a mouth that was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I'm surprised to hear you talking like that. You're usually the first one to be express concern."

"Yeah I know. It sounds weird to me too, but ever since it was decided that we would be living together out on our own I've been feeling bolder and less worried. It's really liberating."

"I can imagine. Just don't let yourself get too carried away. We don't want any 'unmanageable situations' now do we?"

"Right, right. I'll try my best, but it may be up to you to make sure it doesn't happen. You'll have to rein me in."

"Won't be the first time," Tish said under her breath.

"Did you just say something?"

"Nope, nothing at all. So do you think that Lor and Carver will make it here all right?"

"I think so. I left them the directions. So long as they have those even Lor will be able to drive here. Plus, they've been up here before. I'm sure they will be fine. Those two are just being their usual selves."

"I hope you're right. Anyway, I brought the new Chum Bukkit CD, want me to put it in?" Tish asked.

"Go for it. It's good to still have those guys around playing music. This sound never gets old," Tino answered.

Tish nodded in reply. She pulled the handle on her seat and leaned it back so she could take a nap. A smile crept across her face before falling asleep thinking of all the things in store for the coming year.

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The peaceful streets of Bahia Bay sat trembling as Lor Macquarrie finished loading her things into the back of her beat up van and got behind the driver's seat. Lor fired up the ignition and the beastly van roared to life and shot out an ugly cloud of smoke.

"Yeah, that's my baby! Let's get this show on the road!" Lor yelled as she tore off down the street.

The alert had gone out earlier that day that Lor would be driving so the streets were clear of people, pets were kept inside, and cars were parked in their garages. There was even a rumor that the word had spread all over the state so traffic was being diverted off the main highways until Lor made it to Eblan. Lor was all over the street making wide exaggerated turns at every corner. Despite having walked these streets thousands of times once Lor was driving a vehicle she could never remember where she was going.

"Okay, now where is Carver's house? I think it's around here somewhere…"

Meanwhile a few blocks away Carver sat out front his house with all of his stuff neatly packed next to him half of the luggage being shoes. He could hear Lor on her way.

"I know it. I just know that today is gonna be the day that she kills me. That van will fall apart or she'll just plow right into a pole or something. Or if that stuff doesn't happen then this time I'll surely die from being in such a beat up, run down, uncool van. I don't understand why she can't at least paint the thing. Nobody finds those rust stains attractive. Hmmm, sounds like a helicopter is landing that must mean Lor is on her way down the street."

Sure enough Carver was right as Lor's van came flying down the street in a blur of rust and smoke. It only made Carver shake his head. Lor slammed on the brakes in front of his house skidding several feet. Even though Carver was standing outside already Lor decided to repeatedly honk the horn anyway.

"Do you really have to do that?" Carver asked a little annoyed.

"Well, yeah, of course. Now get your stuff in the van already. We're late!"

Carver hurried along and loaded his stuff into the back and then hopped into the front.

"All set? Good. It's time to rock and roll!" Lor yelled while honking the horn some more.

Carver winced a little and thought to himself, "Yep, I'm definitely gonna die. No way around it."

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Tino and Tish moved quickly loading their stuff into the house. The place was as nice as they had imagined it would be. All of the furniture was beautifulyl crafted. They knew they would have to thank Dixon later. Tino and Tish decided to claim the two bedrooms next to each other on the first floor. After an hour or so everything from the car had been loaded in and for the most part set up in the rooms. Once things were done Tino laid down on his bed.

"Oh man, I am tired. Driving all that way and then all of this unloading, I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"Are you really that tired?" Tish asked sounding a bit letdown

"Yeah, I'm pretty exhausted. Why?"

"Well I had wanted to go to the bookstore later to get an early start on my books, but I was thinking that since Lor and Carver aren't here right now that we could, you know, take advantage of having the house to ourselves," Tish said twisting her one finger.

Tino took a deep breath. "Looks like I was wrong, I'm not that tired. Something tells me though that I'll need a nap after this though."

Tish smiled. "Yeah, you will."

Tino sighed and then smiled himself.

**End of Chapter One**

Hey look at this I have yet another story now. I know you might be thinking "Hey wait you already have two other stories going and you've barely been updating those ones. So now with a third one updates will be even slower. You're spreading yourself thin, you fool!" Rest assured that is not the case (I think). The idea is that with three stories going each one completely its own beast that if I tire with one, I have two other options to go with. This way there is something to always hold my interest. Plus, inspiration struck suddenly for this story and if I didn't start it now I probably never would have. Anyway I guarantee that this will be the weirdest of my stories and maybe, just maybe, the weirdest of all Weekenders stories. I know that's a big claim but I'm half willing to make it. So read, review and know that I will continue updating all three stories. Patience is a virtue, they say.


	2. When Tomorrow Hits

**Suitably Ill – Chapter Two: When Tomorrow Hits**

Carver thanked God that the alert had gone out earlier since Lor was all over the highway. He had never seen anyone change lanes as many times as Lor and every time it was unintentional. Several times he tried to tell her that she needed better control of the van but he was always drowned out by the sound of the van forcing itself to meet Lor's demand. The van was pushing it at 55 miles per hour but Lor punched it to 75 miles per hour without a care. She seemed oblivious to what amounted to sounds of a vehicle ready to die or commit suicide. Carver on the other hand was all too aware of the sounds and he found himself alternating between holding his hands in prayer and holding his seat with an iron grip.

"Hey, Carver! Do you think this house will be good enough! I mean do you think it will be big enough for all four of us to have our own space and everything!" Lor hollered.

"What! I didn't hear what you said! It's hard to hear over this large mobile death machine!" Carver called back.

"Yeah! That's what I think too! Not to mention that Tino and Tish really will only need one room most of the time, you know what I mean!"

"What!"

"Exactly! Those two never know when to quit! I gotta tell ya, I never thought Tish would be so enthusiastic about it! I always thought she would be one to wait till marriage, but with her and Tino they're like rabbits!"

"Would you stop talking! I can't hear one word of what you're saying!"

"What!"

"Stop talking!"

"What!"

"I said stop talking, Lor!"

"I can't hear you! Just save it till later okay!"

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"That was wonderful sex. I think I'm paralyzed," Tish said recovering.

"That makes me happy but now I'm real tired," Tino responded.

"You were working hard. Honestly, I think I'm gonna be walking funny the rest of the day."

Tino laughed a little. "Hey, I was just keeping up."

"Well anyway, I'm gonna get dressed and head to the bookstore. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?"

"Nah, I'm good. I just wanna sleep right now."

Tish didn't bother answering she just went on her way throwing her clothes back on. She combed her hair and wiped away the sweat still on her brow. She turned back to Tino, waved to him, and was off.

"And there she goes," Tino said aloud for no reason.

Tino settled into the bed and very quickly fell asleep. The darkness of closed eyes soon gave way to a vision of grand towers in front of Tino.

"This is… Eblan. Yeah, that's where I am," Tino thought to himself despite the setting having no resemblance to Eblan.

Almost as if guided by some force Tino walked to the central tower. He gazed up at it and felt compelled to climb the structure. Taking a good hold Tino began to climb with the help of the central tower's jagged design. Part way up he spotted a girl in a dress but she quickly withdrew into the tower before Tino could figure out who she was. Now with an actual goal in mind Tino pushed himself harder to make it to where he had just seen the girl. Rock after rock he got closer till a few cuts and scrapes later he was at the small plateau where the girl had been. Tino stood up and brushed himself off.

"I'm glad you made it this far, Tino. I would have been disappointed had you not," a familiar voice said.

Tino looked up to see Tish in front of him.

"Oh hey Tish. It's good to see you. Hey, isn't it hard to climb in that dress?"

"No. It works fine. I've made it this far haven't I? And I made it here faster than you. Would you like my help in climbing the rest of the way?"

"Yeah. It'll probably be easier for us to work as a team."

"I guess. Maybe for you but probably not for me. No matter though, let's go."

The two continued on in the climb. The tower was much taller than Tino had realized. It seemed to go on forever. But for as tall as the tower was Tino never found himself growing tired from climbing. Eventually Tish and Tino reached the top of the tower and looked out across the scenery below. Tino looked down and he suddenly feared falling off the tower. He froze in place and didn't move a muscle.

"You know, I could jump if I wanted to. It wouldn't be a problem. I could do it without any trouble. I'm not gonna… but I could," Tish said.

She looked around a bit more, out towards the other towers, towards the sky, and then down to the ground below.

"Tino, do me a favor. Hold on to this ring of mine. I need you to keep it safe for me, okay? It's very important that you don't lose this ring. That ring is… nevermind. Just hold it for me."

She handed the ring to Tino. He went to speak but before he could get a single word out Tish dropped down to the ledges below and climbed down with uncanny speed before disappearing altogether.

Tino shook for a moment. "Now how do I get down? I was counting on her to show me how. Hmm, maybe if I just go slowly."

Tino started his descent very carefully. After only a little ways he stopped and looked at the ring Tish had given him. It was silver and it had an inscription on it.

Tino began to read the inscription out loud to himself, "To the one I love, remember that-"

Suddenly the rock supporting Tino's feet crumbled and he fell off the tower. He was strangely calm as he plummeted to the ground.

"Tino!" a voice suddenly called.

Tino looked around but saw no one.

"Get up, Tino!" the voice called again.

Still Tino saw no one.

Then suddenly something hit Tino in the head and he opened his eyes to see Lor standing over him.

"Mmmm, that was weird... did you just hit me?" Tino asked.

"Yeah, you weren't waking up when I called to you," Lor answered.

"You could have just shaken me, you know."

"I could have but that's not nearly as much fun."

Tino rolled his eyes and got himself out of bed.

Lor's eyes went wide and she turned red as a tomato.

"How... disproportionate. I- wow..." Lor thought.

Somehow Tino remained oblivious to the situation, unaware that he was walking around naked in front of Lor.

"No wonder Tish is always goin at it with him... Snap out of it, Lor! What am I thinking?"

Lor cleared her throat to get Tino's attention.

"Ummm, Tino, you know that..."

Tino looked at her for a second and then the situation dawned on him. He let out the most squeaky of screams ever in his life and dived behind a closet door to get dressed. However the 'damage' had already been done, the image was burned in Lor's mind.

"I-I-I-I forgot, s-s-sorry," Tino stammered.

Quickly, Tino got dressed and gathered up what was left of his dignity.

"Hmmm, I wonder what time it is," he thought.

Tino grabbed the clock from the small table near the bed.

"I was asleep for an hour. Hey, is Tish here?" he asked.

"No, I haven't seen her around," Lor replied.

"I guess she isn't back from the bookstore then. She's certainly taking a long time. By the way where's Carver?"

"Last I saw him he was outside kissing the ground babbling something about how great life is."

"Hmm, a four hour drive with you at the wheel, that sounds about right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Do you guys need a hand unpacking or anything?" Tino asked.

"Yeah, we could actually. Carver has a ton of luggage thanks to that shoe collection of his. Although he'll probably want to handle those bags himself," Lor said.

The two went out to unpack and sure enough Lor was right as Carver kept close attention to his beloved shoes and shooed the other two away from them. Tino groaned a bit when he saw how much Lor and Carver had combined it looked to be triple what he and Tish had brought. Every bag seemed heavier than the last. Fortunately Tino had rested enough so it wasn't too much of a problem. After a long, time-consuming process Lor and Carver's things were unpacked and mostly put away. It had now been a little past two and a half hours since Tish had gone to the bookstore and Tino was starting to get slightly worried about her.

"How long does it take to go to a bookstore? I mean it's not that far away. It's only like a twenty minute walk from here."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, T. This is Tish after all. A bookstore to her is like a playground," Carver said.

"Yeah, I'm sure she is probably sitting in the store reading a book and drinking some coffee," Lor added.

"You two are probably right. I worry about her too much I think."

"It's only natural. You really care for her and that's a good thing," Carver said.

Tino nodded a little, but he still couldn't shake his concerns despite his friends' words.

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Over at the bookstore Tish sat in a chair drinking coffee and reading a book. She was a real college student now. Tish was engrossed in one of the many textbooks she had purchased. The nerd in Tish had burst forth and she was unwilling to wait the twenty minutes to get back home to start reading. She had started on her philosophy textbook examining various works of some of the greatest philosophers throughout time. For almost anyone else it was nothing more than a pile of wordy, boring old men beating their chests on how they had figured out human nature or the meaning of life. However, for Tish this was as riveting as the most action packed movie.

"Ahhh, Nietzsche, you crazy old man. You never cease to amaze me with your insight and perspective," Tish murmured aloud.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through Tish's head and she almost dropped her coffee. Tish put her hand to her head but there were no more sharp pains, instead she felt a throbbing pain reverberating throughout her skull. She put her coffee down and held her head in both her hands. As she looked around the room seemed to be spinning and then fading out of focus and then back again. It all made Tish a little sick to her stomach and Tish feared either throwing up or collapsing in the middle of the bookstore. However, as quick as the pains had started they stopped and Tish felt fine again.

"What in the world was that? I guess maybe that's a sign that I've been here for too long. I guess I'll head home now."

Tish got up and slowly walked out worried that she would be over come with those sensations again before she made it home.

**End of Chapter Two**

Now this is surprising, an update within a week. I can't remember the last time I did this. I guess this is what happens when I'm in my element. I can't imagine this will happen too often though.This chapter was uploaded three different times to fix things here or there. Most notably I originally had forgotten that when Lor woke Tino up he would be naked. So I wrote that little piece in and now everything is fine. And if anyone thinks this story comes off focusing too much on sex and/or sexual related dialogue I apologize it's not supposed to.Oh yeah there's a Weekenders C-2 thing now so go to it and support Weekenders fics. Read, review, you know the usual gimmick. Honestly, who doesn't want people reading and reviewing?


	3. On The Way To Illsville

**Suitably Ill – Chapter Three: On The Way To Illsville**

Tino paced back and forth in the living room stopping every once and a while to bite on his lower lip and drum his fingers on his chin. He may have matured a bit since his younger days but he could never completely overcome his worrisome nature. Currently, he was overly concerned about Tish's well being.

"Dude, you're gonna make a trench from pacing so much," Lor said.

"Yeah, T, you've been pacing for a while now. You need to settle down. Worrying will only make things seem worse," Carver added.

"But what if something horrible happened to her?" Tino asked.

"Tino, this is a small college town. The worst that happens around here are some drunk students or petty theft," Carver answered.

"Well those drunk students could be a big problem. What if one of them decides to get behind the wheel and Tish winds up getting hit by a car?"

"Oh c'mon, what are the chances of being hit by a car?" Lor asked.

"You never know. Well, maybe some drunk driver will offer Tish a ride and then they'll get into a terrible car crash."

"Do you honestly think Tish would take a ride from a stranger, a drunk one at that? I don't think anyone would take that offer. Nobody is that stupid," Carver replied.

"Fine, but what if all of a sudden Tish steps in what she thinks is a beam of light from a streetlight but it turns out to be a beam from an alien spacecraft and then she gets abducted. Then the aliens do all sorts of experiments on her and they find out she's actually their long lost queen. Then they'll take her back to their home planet where she'll usher in a new age of peace and prosperity. But a power hungry aide will try and stage an uprising then Tish will be forced to squash it like a bunch of bugs. After that everyone will be fearful of Tish and the whole planet will fall into complete disarray since they don't know who to trust anymore. Meanwhile we'll be here wondering whatever happened to Tish, wishing she'd come back to us. And in a cruel irony Tish will be wishing that we were there with her since we do trust her. Eventually the aliens will overthrow Tish and she'll be doomed to become a penniless vagrant having flashbacks to her golden glory days. And we'll still be here wondering where she is and if she's ever coming back. It's a very unhappy scenario."

Tino's back had been turned towards his friends during his rambling so it was only when he stopped and turned to them that he was greeted with the vacant stares that lacked any real way to stoop to the level of nonsense Tino had just been at.

"Oooookay, I think we'll just ignore that and move on," Carver commented.

"One has to consider all scenarios. You can't discount anything. Everything must be accounted for both the realistic and the fantastic."

"You keep thinking that."

"I will."

"Well good then."

"It is good."

"I bet it is."

"Are you mocking me?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you are."

"Well, maybe I am."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah that is right."

"Boys, please! C'mon now, you're starting to make me the most mature person in the room. Now knock it off," Lor said exasperated with both Tino and Carver.

Both boys threw up their arms in acquiescence.

"That's more like it. Now let's all settle down and wait for Tish like patient mature young adults, okay?"

"Sounds weird coming from you," Carver mumbled.

"What was that?" Lor shot.

"Nothing. Just talkin' to myself."

"That's what I thought," Lor said with emphasis.

"Mature young adults, huh?" Carver thought.

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Tish hurried on her way hoping to make it back to the house as soon as possible. She knew that Tino was probably beside himself with worry since she had taken so long at the bookstore. Not to mention Tish was a bit afraid about being suddenly struck again with the weird sensations. If it was going to happen again she wished it to happen at a comfortable place. For the most part, though, she tried to push the scenario out of her mind and focus on other things.

"The guys are probably wondering what happened to me. They must have expected me to be back like an hour or so ago. I hope Lor and Carver got all of their stuff unpacked okay. Hmm, I probably should have stayed to help, give them the gift of my guidance. I'm sure they'll understand though."

A big smile spread across Tish's face as she began drifting onto the idea of living together with her friends.

"I can't wait to see what this year holds. All of us living in the same household together, I can't believe its actually happening. We might have lived together in the dorms last year but this time we're all on our own together. It's giving me goosebumps just thinking about it. This could be a big step for Tino and me. It could also prove to be a disaster, but I think we're mature enough to handle ourselves. Yeah, we can do this."

Tish continued on her way punctuating her walk with these various thoughts, most of the making her smile or even laugh a little. Soon she had completely pushed the weird sensations from earlier out of her mind. Thinking about the upcoming the school year distracted Tish and she found the walk back home went faster than she had expected.

"I guess it's time to calm Tino down," she thought to herself.

Tish opened the door to the house looking away slightly trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey everyone," she said nonchalantly.

"Hey, Tish," Lor and Carver both replied.

Tino simply stared at her with wide eyes.

"Here we go," Tish thought.

"Where have you been? It's been hours since you left. I was worried sick! I thought that maybe you had been hit a by a car or been in a crash with a drunk or that you had stepped into a light and-"

"But I'm here and I'm fine," Tish said thankfully cutting off Tino.

"Yeah and that's great but up until you just walked in right now I had no idea things were fine. I've been pacing back and forth for the past hour now."

"Yeah, I can see the wear and tear on the floor."

Tino grumbled a bit.

Tish laughed a little.

"You know, you are so cute when you worry," Tish commented giving Tino a peck on the cheek.

Tino rubbed his forehead and let out a deep breath. He knew that he could no longer complain.

Suddenly Lor's eyes brightened.

"Hey guys I just got a great idea. How about we all go out to a nice restaurant in honor of our living together now and to wish ourselves a good school year?

"Hey, it involves food you know you can count me in," Carver said.

"It sounds like a pretty good idea," Tish commented.

"Well, I'm certainly not gonna be the party pooper here so I say let's go for it. I also think I'll do the driving," Tino said last.

Carver said a silent thank you to the sky.

"Are you sure? I can drive if you want. I'll get us there in no time flat," Lor offered.

"No thanks, you've done enough driving for one day. Plus the 'Lor Driving' warning was only for earlier today."

Lor scoffed.

"It's not my fault if every other driver in this state can't get out of my way."

"Riiiiight. Anyway I'm hungry now so let's get this show on the road."

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The four friends settled on a nice little restaurant along the main thoroughfare right in front of the biggest of the university buildings. The patrons of the restaurant were almost exclusively college students. The place had a pretty large sized crowd on their hands, so needless to say it was pretty loud. The group was placed in a booth towards the back and somewhat in the corner. The waitress who came to take their orders looked to be a college student as well. In fact with the exception of the owner and the manager all of the people who worked at the restaurant were students.

"So what can I get for you guys tonight?" the waitress kindly asked.

The four looked at each other and then back at the waitress

"We'll have a large pizza and four root beers please," Tino said for the group.

"Okay then," the waitress said as she scribbled it down on the pad of paper.

"Actually,…" Lor started.

The waitress stopped writing to look, her friends also turned to look at Lor.

"I'd like a beer, please."

"No problem, what kind?" the waitress asked without batting an eye.

"Whatever you have on tap will be fine."

"All right then. I'll be back shortly with your drinks."

The waitress left but all eyes were still on Lor.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Lor asked sincerely.

"What do you mean what? You know what. You just ordered a beer, Lor," Tino said.

"Yeah, I know. What's the big deal?"

"You're 19, Lor. You aren't old enough to drink. That's the big deal."

"Oh lighten up Tino. We're out on our own now. We don't have our parents breathing down our necks anymore. We're miles away from them we should be able to cut loose, ya know? I mean c'mon we're in college this is what you do. Plus, I don't think one beer is gonna hurt."

Tino grumbled a bit.

"I still don't like it. It just seems like trouble to me."

Not wanting to spoil the evening both Tino and Lor put aside their little disagreement for the time being. Soon after the waitress returned with their drinks. The easy atmosphere that usually existed among the friends slipped back into place and they all began chatting it up sometimes talking as a group and sometimes pairing off with one another to converse. Even when the food arrived the talking never stopped. They managed to consume the pizza in between conversations. The topics were all over the place ranging from discussions of childhood to cleaning the house to simply living in the house to thoughts on the upcoming school year, it never ended. Before they even realized it they had finished all of their pizza. All of them were still a little hungry and they still wanted to hang out for a little while so they decided to order some dessert.

"So then what'll it be for dessert?" the waitress asked.

"Is chocolate ice cream good with everyone? Chocolate ice cream, please," Tino politely said.

"Umm, could I have another beer please?" Lor asked.

"Sure, no problem."

Tino shot Lor a look.

"Uhhh, could I have a glass of Baccardi?" Tish asked almost sheepishly.

"Of course."

Tino's eyes went wide as he turned slowly to look at Tish.

The waitress wrote the order down on her pad of paper and walked off.

"Now you're doing it too, Tish? I don't understand. And Lor, you're having another? Is it just gonna snowball from here?" Tino asked.

Tish fidgeted a little.

"Geez, Tino, calm down. This isn't the end of the world. We aren't drunks. You should get a drink too it would probably do you some good," Lor chided.

"No thanks. I'll stick with my root beer."

"Fine, do as you like, but let us do the same."

Tino sighed.

"Fine, fine. I guess I can deal with it. I do trust you guys."

"Now that's what I like to hear. Here's to understanding!" Lor said raising her glass.

The others followed suit and clinked the glasses together. Once again the relaxed atmosphere returned and they slipped back into conversation with ease. As the evening went on Tish loosened up even more than usual. Despite only having one drink it put her very much at ease. It was quite clear that Tish was definitely a lightweight.

"You know, I think this year I'm gonna join all of those students in the streets. Those people are right. This government is terrible, and more kids should vote, and women are oppressed, and everyone should be vegetarians, and people… have too much free time on their hands. Yeah, I'll be right out there with the protestors. Somebody needs to take a stand. It must be done."

Tish finished and took the last sip of her drink.

"And another thing…" Tish stopped.

Her stomach began to tie itself into knots. The feeling was excruciating and it made Tish rest her head on the table.

"Tish, are you okay? You look a little pale," Tino asked.

Tish replied with a groan. Her friends looked at each other, something seemed quite amiss. Tish tried to hold her head up but now it felt like it was full of lead and she struggled to keep herself sitting upright.

"No, its happening again, isn't it?" Tish thought.

Suddenly sharp pains shot through Tish's head ricocheting off her skull. It was almost unbearable.

"I think I need to go home," Tish managed to say.

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Let's get going," Tino said getting up from the booth.

He turned back and helped Tish to her feet and gave her support to help her to the car. As Tish left the restaurant she swore she could hear laughter. Someone, somewhere was laughing at her.

**End of Chapter Three**

Well, well, I finally got around to updating this story. I'm as surprised as you are. I believe that when I get back to school my updates should come faster. Yeah, I realize that the idea of getting more writing done during the school year rather than during summer doesn't sound right, but that's just how I operate. Oh by the way did anyone else notice that once the chapter moved to the restaurant Carver never got anymore lines? Somehow I kinda forgot that he was there, plus I didn't know where to fit him in. Read, review, blah blah blah. I'm sure I'll update sometime so I'll catch you then.


	4. Arpeggio I Goodbye Forever

**Suitably Ill – Chapter Four: Arpeggio – Goodbye Forever**

Tino was practically carrying Tish as they left the restaurant she was in so much pain. The reverberations in her skull weren't letting up and Tish felt like she was going insane.

"I just have to… make it back home. I gotta lay down," Tish thought.

Suddenly Tish's body spasmed and she threw up all over the sidewalk and Tino's shoes. Tino jumped back in surprise as Tish collapsed to her knees endlessly vomiting. The pain in Tish' head made her feel like she was spilling all of her insides all over the sidewalk. Some part of her even assumed that she was dying at that very moment, but the rest of her fought back.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening! I'm stronger than this. Pull yourself together, Tish! You're more dignified than vomiting on the sidewalk."

Her body became weak as the last of the vomit hit the pavement. Tish could barely keep herself steady, and if it had not been for Tino's quick reflexes she would have surely fallen face first into the puke covered sidewalk.

"My God, Tish, what the hell has happened to you? I really have to get you home. And, uh, not to sound crass or insensitive but if you feel another 'attack' like that coming stick your head out the window. Thanks," Tino said as he helped her to the car.

Tish barely heard anything he had to say. She probably would have been slightly offended otherwise. The only thing that Tish could process correctly was the need to lie down.

"Why does this keep happening? It's going to drive me insane. It's all so sudden too. I can't help it, and I can't seem to stop it. My own body, I can't control it."

The car drive home was exhausting for Tish. Vomiting had lessened the pain but she could still feel it burrowing its way into her very being. It was an indescribable feeling. Every now and then Tino looked over at her huddled together in the seat shivering. He didn't know what to do for Tish. In any situation he was generally too worried to be of any help but this problem was far beyond anything he had encountered before. An illness was not the way he wanted to start off the school year, their first year of real independence.

"Not one day, we couldn't even last one day. The moment we get our freedom something goes wrong. There is no justice in this world. Hmmm, maybe it was a bad reaction to the alcohol. Nah, she only had one drink, she wouldn't have thrown up that bad. What are we gonna do?" Tino thought.

Tish opened her eyes as Tino slowed down and parked in front of their house. She attempted to stand of her own accord but it was of no use.

"Hold on there, Tish, let me give you a hand," Tino said quickly moving to help.

Tish simply groaned in acknowledgment. Her mind was like mush. Mustering all the strength he could Tino lifted Tish into his arms and carried her into the house. His face was bright red as he struggled and strained to hold her up.

"This looks so much easier than it really is."

Somehow though Tino made it to their bedroom and put Tish down.

"Th… thanks," Tish muttered ever so quietly.

Tino pulled up a chair and rest his head in his hands.

1----------------------------1------------------------------------1---------------------------------1

Lor rested her head on the table breathing deeply. Carver sat at another table trying his hardest pick up some girls, completely oblivious to Lor's increasing number of drinks. Lor sat up straight her eyes glazed and her mouth in a crooked smile. The alcohol was pumping through her system draining her of sense and inhibition.

"Look at 'em all, smiling and laughing. That should be me. This smile that I smile is just for me. Why? Cause no one else wants to stick around and share it with me. They all just… run away. Do they think they're better than me? I should show them a thing or two. Nobody can ditch me. We're supposed to be friends anyway. What happened to one for all and all for one? No, nooooooooo! We can't all be together. Little Miss Princess Brain has to get sick. Awww boo hoo! Give me a break. She's always stealing the intention around here. It's all her fault that I'm just smiling to myself. I have a great smile, and she hates it. Yeah, that's what it is. It's so obvious now. Well, I've had enough of that, I'm gonna go back there and give her a peace of my mind. Now or never, and I chose now," Lor thought to herself.

She stood up and exhibited a surprising amount of control by keeping her walking in a near perfect line, but she stumbled enough for Carver to notice out of the corner of his eye.

"Uh-oh, it looks like I left the table a little too soon. I'd better get her back to the house," Carver thought to himself.

He stood and then turned to the two girls sitting at the table

"I'm sorry to cut things short but I've gotta go take care of my friend. I'll make sure to give you two a call sometime," he said tapping his cell phone.

Carver rushed over to Lor and put his arm around her to keep her steady.

"Hey, I thought you were gonna drink in moderation, you're smashed," Carver said to her.

"What? I'm… fine. It's everyone else. They are the ones who can't delight in my smile. Don't show me no pity! You're just like them. You don't care."

"Damn it, Lor, why did you have to drink so much? We don't have the car here."

Carver got Lor outside onto the sidewalk and sat her down.

"Okay, sit there while I call Tino to see if he can come back to get us."

Lor started giggling uncontrollably. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Hehehehehehehehe HEE HEE HEE ahahahahaa! Hey wanna hear a secret about Tino? It's a really cool secret. Maybe the best secret ever. I bet Tish wants it a secret, keep it to herself. Let me tell ya."

Lor stood up again and leaned in close Carver. She cupped her one hand around her mouth.

"Tino's got a big dick!" she practically shouted into Carver's ear, and then began laughing uncontrollably again.

Carver cleaned out his ear a bit and then shook his head.

"I never, ever should have left that table. Somebody needs to hose you down. Now please be quiet while I make this call."

Lor put her hand over mouth to hold back laughter. It looked like her face was going to pop. Carver shook his head again.

"Hey Tino. Look could you do us a favor? Lor had too much to drink and I was wondering if you could come pick us up?... Really? That doesn't sound good. Hmmm, oh yeah there is a pile of vomit a little ways down……….. I don't know, never heard of anything like that………… Maybe, I'm not sure………… I'm sure we'll think of something…………. Just try not to worry…………. We'll discuss it more when I get back……….. All right, well thanks anyway, later days."

Carver hung up the phone and looked at Lor who was bobbing her head to some song only she could hear.

"Well, it looks like it's you and me. This might be even worse than driving with you."

1---------------------------------------1--------------------------------1----------------------------1

Tino wandered back and forth in the house mulling over Tish's condition. He wanted to be in the room with her and give her comfort but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to face her. His inability to really help her made it hard for him to watch her.

"Should I take her to the doctor's? She could be seriously ill. But then what if it looks like we're completely irresponsible? We get by ourselves and she's overcome with the worst sickness she's ever had in her entire life, yeah that looks real good. Then what if they blame me? Maybe they'll try and say somehow I gave her something. The people closest to a person are always the first suspects. We just have to keep this quiet for now. All right, Tino, just calm down, take it easy. You gotta stay cool and calm. If you can overcome this you can overcome anything."

Just then Tino heard Tish moan loudly and it made him cringe. He knew he would have to go back into the room and see her lying there looking like death. Tino rubbed his face with his hands and swallowed to compose himself. Each step towards the bedroom felt like a step towards his grave and he wasn't even sick. Tino entered the room and grimaced. Tish lay there pale as a ghost, hair a mess, and her mouth half open as saliva dribbled down her chin onto her neck. Tino sat down on the chair next to the bed and looked at her wishing for it to go away.

"How are you?" Tino asked quietly.

Tish didn't respond. She simply moved her eyes to gaze at Tino. Her eyes alternated between looking sad and looking vacant as if she had no idea who he was or why she was there.

Tino wanted to cry but for some reason he couldn't. The tears just didn't come. His face burned and nothing was there to cool it down.

"Don't leave, Tino. Please stay here. I need some one to stay here otherwise I don't know what will happen to me. I feel like I can't function any other way now. Please just stay put." The thoughts echoed in Tish's mind but she couldn't bring them to her lips to speak.

Only Tish's head hurt now and it was just a slight throbbing instead of a sharp pain tearing throughout her. Tish was no longer concerned about the pain nor was she worried about the possibility of vomiting nor did she really care that she had very limited movement of her body. It was her inability to talk that scared her most. She wanted to confide in Tino how scared she was that was really sick, she wanted to tell him to stay, she wanted to tell him to not freak out, but she couldn't. To make up for her lack of speech Tish felt it best to keep her eyes on Tino. She figured that maybe that would give him some level of comfort.

"I wish I could read her mind. She wants to tell me something I know, but I can't figure out what. Her eyes, she's staring at me. What does she want? I-I can't help her. Is she accusing me? Does she want some type of comfort? I don't know,' Tino thought.

Her eyes penetrated him and he couldn't take it. He looked away trying to hide himself from her gaze.

"Look at me, Tino. Look at me. I want to see your face. I need to know that you can still see me. Please!" Tish yelled inside.

Her eyes began to water as she tried to cry. A tear rolled down each cheek but that was it, her eyes just stayed watered. Her body would not cooperate.

"What is wrong with me! I need to express myself. I can't take this. I have to get Tino to notice me. I need to know that I'm still here and that he's okay!"

Tino stood up as if to leave.

"No! No! Don't go, Tino! I'm afraid! Why are you leaving me again? I need you to stay. If you leave then who is still letting me know I'm here," Tish thought. She could her voice inside her full of tears, crying loudly.

Tino walked towards the door.

"No!"

He stood in the doorway only glancing back at Tish quickly.

"NO!"

Then he walked out of the room closing the door halfway.

"DON'T GO!"

Tino slowly shuffled towards the couch in the living room when he was startled by a loud banging on the front door. He took a few steps back and tensed as if to run. Suddenly the door burst open and Lor fell into the house taking Carver with her.

"Geez, guys, you scared me half to death."

"Sorry, but it's not easy keeping Lor in line. She is really trashed, but at least we only had to stop twice for her to throw up. She's still pretty out of it though."

"Weren't you watching her? What happened?"

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry. I got distracted by some girls."

"What? Oh c'mon Carv, this is serious."

"I know, I know! Really, I'm sorry but look can't change the past so let's just take care of the girls."

Tino sighed.

Tino and Carver helped Lor to her feet while she mumbled something about smiling. They each supported her as they tried taking her to the couch to lay her down.

"They'll sea. I'll sea too. We'll all be happy. My smile, that's the ticket. As soon as she nose then everything will be fine. I have to end this… with my smile," Lor mumbled.

"What is she talking about?" Tino asked.

"I don't know, she's been like this the past ten minutes or so," Carver responded.

Lor stopped moving on her own and both Tino and Carver stumbled a moment as they lifted her back up.

"That's it! My smile!" Lor suddenly shouted forcefully shoving away both Carver and Tino.

The two boys went hurtling into the couch knocking it over. Neither one expected the outburst nor did they realize just how strong Lor was. Lor laughed a bit and then stumbled as best she could towards Tish's room.

"My smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, look at my smile. Look, look, look, look, look, my smile is so beautiful, so pretty, so wonderful, so breathtaking, so absolutely stunning. They are all waiting for my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile, my smile."

The words came a mile a minute and time felt like it was crawling. Tino turned to Carver wide eyed.

"How much did she have to drink?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen anyone this out of control. Something must be wrong."

"Lor? Lor? Lor! Answer me! What are you doing?" Tino called out.

Lor did nothing to acknowledge the calls. She got to Tish's room and kicked the door open with all her might.

"What the hell is she doing?" Tino wondered aloud feeling it best to follow her.

Lor's glazed eyes were locked on Tish's and somehow it gave her the ability to walk straight not losing a single step. Lor's eyes were devoid of all feeling and logic, they were just cold, and it scared Tish.

"Do you like my smile, Tish?" Lor asked calmly.

Tish wanted to answer but her voice still wasn't coming to her.

"Too good to answer? Not a surprise," Lor said still calm.

Lor stopped at the head of the bed just staring at Tish. Tish's eyes watered again this time out of fear though. Without warning Lor grabbed Tish by the shoulders and pulled her out of the bed onto her feet. At the same moment Tino entered the room.

"Lor! What the hell is your problem? What are you doing to her?" he yelled.

Lor still didn't acknowledge him. Instead she pulled Tish's face to her own.

"My smile, they'll love my smile," she whispered.

The universe seemingly turned upside down and Lor reared back and came forward full force punching Tish in the jaw. Tish saw the whole thing happening, she knew it was coming but her body still didn't let her move. She felt the impact and then everything dark. Tino stared slack jawed at the doorway as he watched Tish hit the floor with blood coming out her mouth now.

"Why?... Wha?... What's happened? Why is this happening? Has everyone gone insane?" Tino wondered.

Over come by some unknown force, perhaps rage, Tino charged Lor with all intents of tackling her. But before he got there Lor whirled around with another devastating punch and connected hard with Tino's face sending him to the floor. Lor looked at both her friends lying on the ground, unconscious by her own hand. It didn't bother her, not even in the slightest bit. A sharp pain had arisen in her head and that was her primary concern. Behind her she heard the footsteps of Carver entering the room.

"What the hell happened in here? Lor, did you do this? I think you need to see a doctor, something is wrong with you."

Lor silently walked up to Carver and stopped in front of him just staring back at him.

"Are you calm now? Look, let me help you get-"

Carver didn't get to finish as Lor let loose another punch and sent her final friend down for the count. Lor stepped over Carver and walked out to the living room. Her eyes still remained as clear as her conscience. She stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a full circle looking all around. Her eyes turned angry.

"Now you're supposed to see my smile! You've all left! MY SMILE! WaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A sharp pain shot through Lor's head and she feel to her knees, smiled, then hit the floor with a sickening thud.

**End of Chapter Four**

I know it's been awhile but hey a new chapter. Most people have probably forgotten what has been going on in this story, can't blame ya. I had forgotten myself. As I look over this chapter I can't help but feel that no one will like it. I realize it's not too Weekenders. Well, here's some bad news then, it won't get better. At least not in this story. There's one chapter left here and then this story is finished. I've dropped a lot of this story in favor of simply finishing it. I'm hoping to get Oblivion done soon and then head onto the finale, but we'll see what happens. Oh yeah I uploaded two chapters at once, this one and then the final chapter so make sure to read both. Then review, even if you despise it. I encourage it in fact. I'm done now.


	5. Adagio I Trust Me

**Suitably Ill – Chapter Five: Adagio – Trust Me**

Water dripped slowly but steadily from somewhere in the sky to one of the puddles on the ground. The only way to tell that there were puddles or that water was even falling was to watch for the ripples that formed the only sense of movement in the sprawling darkness. Nothing else was visible save for a single young woman lying on her back in a puddle. She was sleeping and blood ran from her mouth down the side of her cheek. Her body seemed to produce its own light, making her stand out.

"Tish… Tish… get up. Now that you are here we have to talk," a familiar voice said.

Tish lay motionless in the puddle.

"C'mon, you're supposed to be the industrious one, get up."

A drop of water fell from the sky and hit Tish in the forehead. It stirred her a little and she moved to wipe away the water. Her eyes opened and she realized she once again controlled her body. Tish brought her hand to her mouth remembering having been punched. She wiped the blood away from her face there. Tish sat up and looked around for the voice she had heard.

"Don't worry. I'm still here. Just get up."

"Fine, fine. I'm getting up. You're certainly bossy," Tish said. She paused a moment realizing she had spoken the words aloud.

"I wouldn't call myself bossy so much as I would call myself motherly."

"Whatever. So where are you? And where am I? What happened to me?"

"One question at a time. I'll start with the easiest one. I'm right here in front of you, just focus your eyes."

Tish wiped her glasses first and then tried to focus her eyes. Slowly, the outline of what appeared to be a child became visible. The child grew more visible and Tish could tell it was girl. Then the child was completely visible and Tish raised an eyebrow. It was her as she looked when she was 12 years old only she looked like she was covered in ashes or dust and her one eye glowed red.

"Who are you?" Tish asked.

"I'm you. I'm your shadow."

"I see. So where am I? Am I sleeping?"

"I guess you could put it that way. This is where I live. It's pretty lonely here. It wasn't always like this. It used to be really lively."

"I guess that brings me to my last question. What happened to me?"

"Life happened to you."

"What does that mean?"

"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. Not to mention I figured someone such as yourself would understand. You read the philosophy books with such enthusiasm. I figured that would be a perfect statement. And on top of all that this is coming from the greatest philosopher of them all."

"You're the greatest philosopher of them all?"

"No, we're the greatest philosopher of them all. The only thing that matters to us is us. No one can know what we think except us, and only we know the true reasons for what we do. Everyone else, no matter how much they've studied or how famous they are, can only speculate. Only a fool thinks they can understand others."

"Fine then, but I still want a real answer to my questions. What happened to me, and why am I here?"

"You're here because your friend Lor sent you here, unwittingly, of course. I'm sure she's having her own conversation as we are now."

"Because she wasn't acting like herself?"

Shadow Tish smirked, "Yes, exactly."

"What's that mean? I wasn't being myself?" Tish asked a tad indignant.

"You were well on your way. Look at this place around you. This is how close you were to completely separating yourself. All that's left is me. I didn't want to be erased so I took it upon myself to stop you. It was actually much easier than I had anticipated. I was unaware of how much I could do from within these confines."

"So then, I haven't been sick or losing my mind, it was myself doing this? Were you the one I heard laughing at the restaurant?"

"That's right. As my world… no, our world began to disappear I decided to bring you down from the inside, to try and let you know that you were on a path of self-destruction as it were. Your want to fit in, to be one more of these mindless driveling idiots at this self-absorbed institution was unbecoming. It needed to be stopped, otherwise I would soon die. You were forgetting yourself. I needed to get you back in touch with me."

"So, what then, I'm never supposed to change? I'm always supposed to be the same person until the day I die? That's ridiculous."

"That's not what I'm saying. You should become who you are, not who others are. On the surface you may have looked the same or gave people the impression you were the same, but inside with me you knew otherwise. You were losing touch with the truth. Your motivation was poor."

Tish scoffed, "If that's true then what about when I started having sex? I didn't see you around then. For someone like me with such an upstanding upbringing I should have been restrained but I wasn't. So how come you weren't there?"

"That's simple. You were having sex with Tino which was being true to yourself and me since it was what we wanted. Let's not kid ourselves your relationship with him has been years in the works. It only makes sense that you would act the way you did. It's progression."

"And what do you call what I was doing now?"

"Elimination."

"This is absurd. Are you sure you're inside the right mind? I think you should be with Tino, he's the one who reads all that melodramatic science fiction. This is straight out of something he would read."

Shadow Tish laughed, "And we read melodramatic romance and Shakespeare. It's just as absurd if not more so. At least the science fiction is willing to lampoon itself at times. What we read rarely lets itself off the pedestal.

"That's not true. Shakespeare wrote humor, he was playful at times."

"Fine, so not everything is so self-important. It's irrelevant."

"Ha, so you can be wrong."

"I never claimed I was perfect."

"So how come this doesn't happen to others? I know I'm not the only one who apparently stops being themselves. There are enough TV shows about it."

Shadow Tish simply shrugged, "You're lucky."

Tish laughed sarcastically, "Oh yeah real lucky."

"You shouldn't take it so lightly. People often lose their lives to what I'm saving you from. Or at least they lose their dignity or self-worth."

"You don't think much of people, do you?"

"Not these people, no. They're all philistines, uneducated brutes with attitudes that make me sick to my stomach."

"I wouldn't become as bad as them."

"But you were on your way. It's just false happiness, and inflated egos with no plans."

"And you don't have an inflated ego?"

"Maybe I do, but I don't think I do. I understand my situation. I know myself and I know what I'm doing. I don't question others, only myself."

"So what is your plan?"

"Live, grow old, and die. It's a simple plan and I'm doing my best to stick to it."

"As if life were that simple, there's much more to it than that. Nobody can stick to such a simple plan."

"They can, it's when people devise more complicated plans or get involved with others' plans that things fall apart."

"Hmpf, believe what you want."

"That's the plan," Shadow Tish said with a smile.

"I've had just about enough of this. If there's some ultimate lesson I should learn then tell me and I'll be on my way."

"Is that a joke? You know all real lessons are never told they're learned."

"So what happens if I don't learn my lesson?"

"I don't know. Maybe you'll be trapped here forever, maybe you'll return with nothing changed, maybe I'll die, maybe you'll die, who knows."

"Well, that's not very reassuring."

"Very little comes risk-free. It's that risk that makes a lot of things worthwhile."

Tish remained silent, twirling her hair with one of her fingers. She stared intently at the younger version of herself.

"Are you really me?"

"Yes."

"Do you really know everything about me?"

"Yes."

"So if I lie to you then you know?"

"Yes."

"Then my defiance has been pointless?"

"Yes."

"Why do you let me continue?"

"I already said why. Lessons are not told they are learned."

Tish smiled, "I should have guessed that."

Shadow Tish smiled as well, "So I will have my place back?

"Yeah, it's too empty like this. You need something better than this and some place to clean yourself up. You're covered in dust."

"Well, that's not my fault."

"I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I can't stand the pain."

"Good, all right then, I'll take my leave. I'll be expecting you."

Shadow Tish began talking off fading in the darkness.

"Hey, wait, I have two more questions," Tish called out.

Shadow Tish stopped and turned around.

"If you are supposed to stop us from becoming something we're not, how come you were never there whenever we tried to fit in when we were twelve?"

"It's simple, really, because that is also progression. You were twelve; the only thing a twelve year old really knows is the want to fit in. And you all managed to overcome that. That is real progression. Notice that you see me as twelve years old? Now you know why."

"And my last question, how do I leave?"

Shadow Tish smiled, "You'll figure it out." Then she walked away fading completely.

Tish thought about it a moment and then laid down and closed her eyes. The puddles on the ground filled up and connected, slowly turning the whole ground into a body of water. Tish floated on top and let the developing current take her. The sound of the rushing water lulled her to sleep as she drifted along.

1----------------------------------1--------------------------------1------------------------1

Tish woke up, her eyes adjusting to the bright sun shining over her head. The tree she lay under provided little protection from the beams of light. She slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position leaning against the tree. Tish knew Tino would be worried about her, so she'd have to hurry home. Thinking about him walking in circles fretting with worry made her laugh; she always found his worrisome nature so cute. Tish looked behind the tree and found Lor there still sleeping snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

"Hey Lor! Lor! Wake up!" Tish yelled.

Lor grumbled something incoherent and rubbed her eyes.

"C'mon let's get goin'. We've been out too long. The boys must be wondering what happened to us."

Lor yawned and stood up.

"Whoever thought that it would so comfortable sleeping under a tree," she said.

"I told you nature was great. This is one of its finer uses I think," Tish replied.

Lor smiled, "So what are you gonna use as an excuse to Tino for you being gone?"

"I think I might just tell him the truth."

"Oh, a risk taker, eh?"

"I think he'll understand. He has in the past."

"Yeah, that's true; even still, I always think it's a risk."

"Sounds funny coming from you though, let's face it you take more risks than I do, and without thinking about the consequences too."

Lor laughed, "I guess that's true."

The two walked along exchanging friendly banter with laughter punctuating the conversation, but it eventually turned to silence.

As the two neared the house Lor spoke up in a serious voice, "Do you think they'll forgive us?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Any particular reason?"

"Because we forgave ourselves."

"That's a pretty good reason."

"Yep, just make sure to smile."

Lor chuckled, "No problem. Now we're back."

"And all's right with the world."

**THE END**

Well, it's only been over a year since I finished a story. Man, that took forever, or at least it felt like it. If you reached here and you're thinking "That was lame." or "That made no sense." or "What a cop out." that's fine, just make sure to write a review telling me that. This story doesn't have much resemblance to how I originally envisioned it and yeah, it is pretty much a cop out. I've lost a lot of my interest but I didn't want to leave an unfinished story as so many other people do so I figured I'd bring the story to some sort of conclusion. That's why if it feels rushed or something it pretty much is. Still though, it didn't really turn out all that bad by comparison to if I had tried to continue and write the whole thing out when I was burned out on the story. So review, and possibly look for a conclusion to my other stories coming soon.


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